Alvilde Prydz was a Norwegian

Norwegians

Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 novelist.

Biography

She was born near Fredrikshald

Halden

is a both a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The seat of the municipality, Halden is a border town located at the Tista river delta on the Iddefjord, the southernmost border crossing between Norway and Sweden.-History:...

, now Halden in Østfold

Østfold

is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. Her parents were Paul Fredrik Birkenbusch Prydz (1810–1908) a merchant and customs inspector and Andersine Nicoline Lund (1815–1899). She grew up in a large group of children on the farm ofT osterød Fredrikshald. The family moved to Christiania

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, where Alvilde studies at the local the schools. When she was19 years old, she earned her first post as a governess in the family of a priest in Telemark

Telemark

is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...

. Between 1866-67, she attended a local girl's school (Nissens Pigeskoles Guvernantekurs). When the priest and his family moved to Hitra

Hitra

Hitra is a municipality and an island in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality covers the island of Hitra and several smaller islands, and is part of the Fosen region...

 in Sør-Trøndelag

Sør-Trøndelag

- References :...

 county, she went there for three years of work and self-study.

In 1880, she gained some attention by the story Agn og Agnar (1880). In 1884, she met in Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 with writer Amalie Skram

Amalie Skram

Amalie Skram was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. She moved to Denmark in 1894 where she settled in Copenhagen with her husband, the Danish writer Erik Skram...

, who encouraged her. After the publication of I Moll (1885) she received a government stipend and traveled in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The bulk of her published writing appeared in the 1890s. She won popularity and her works were translated into several languages. Her work has appeared in English languages edition, most notably The Heart of the Northern Sea (1907) and Sanpriel: the Promised Land (1914).

Selected works

• Undervejs (1889)
• Lykke (1890)
• Mennesker (1892)
• Arnak (1892)
• Dröm (1893)
• Bellis (1895)
• Gunvor Thorsdatter til Hœro (1896, sixth edition, 1906; German translation, 1897)
• Sylvia (1898)
• Blade (1898)
• Aino (1900)
• Det lovede Land (1902)
• Barnene paa Hœro Gaard (1906; three editions)
• I Ulvedalene (1909)
• Mens det var Sommer (1911)

External links

• Alvilde Prydz (Project Runeberg)